North x Northwest

Side story 1 Cesar’s Chapter: Gust of Wind

After that, Cesar saw Liloa more frequently. Perhaps because his first impression of her was so strong, but her presence on him was becoming more and more apparent. And even though there had been no further meetings since that day, Cesar’s curious mind was able to spot her among the army cadets he occasionally encountered. Despite that, Cesar found it too hasty to say that his heart grew excited to see Liloa, so he repeatedly told himself that he had no rational feelings for her.

Liloa was unparalleled at Sesbron’s Court. Cesar could easily find her from afar, he just had to look for a woman surrounded by suitors.

‘Obviously, Liloa is special.’

However, for Cesar, it was not just her gaze or appearance that lingered in his mind since their first meeting, but also her character. Even after some time passed, he still believed that his interest in Liloa was due to her eccentricity and not a symptom of affection. That’s why he was neither displeased nor concerned by this sight of Liloa. And why he didn’t experience the sorrow of seeking a woman out of his reach as the second son of a family who is unable to inherit the family title. The remarkable thing about Liloa was that even with her enormous dowry, consisting of numerous estates and her beauty, she was never greedy for status. Which was a characteristic that transcended it all.

‘Or was it a denial of pride?’

Cesar shook his head.

However, she continued to stand out to him. Her appearance of running around the wide lands of Lebrun with Koud bhan, looked lively. It was also an unusual sight to see a 16-year-old aristocratic woman shooting a gun while riding a horse. Liloa, a member of the Karabinae Unit⁶, was a fresh presence around the academy. She joined the army as the navy had no female officers due to the nature of the fleet, but in the long history of the army, female officers have continued to exist. Despite this, no woman with such a high aristocratic rank as hers ever volunteered to become an officer. Only women who took over their family set foot on the battlefield due to their obligations as the family head. But Liloa has an older brother, so that wasn’t applicable.

Some admired such an unconventional move, while others dismissed it as useless bravery. Cesar wondered if those who adhered to the latter, had ever seen her.

‘Before those people judged her so narrowly, did they even take a look at Liloa? Can’t they see the expression on her face when she climbed onto Koud Bhan? It was the joy of the person who achieved what she desperately wanted. Is there anyone who can’t see such a clear light? It’s a beam of light that fills everyone who sees it with joy.’

He’d never seen such a bright smile before. Smiling is something you do when you’re happy, but Liloa’s smile contained a far broader range of happiness. It was the smile you wore when you had the whole world. For the first time, Cesar saw something in Liloa he never imagined before.

‘What’s the harm in doing what you love? It’s ridiculous. No one has the right to criticise her choice. Even if it isn’t unfounded that she has a completely different type of thinking than anybody else.’

Of course, Cesar admitted that he, who is far more conservative, finds Liloa particularly innovative. He was well aware of the reason how he could handle her so well. This is because he has known someone similar to Liloa since he was a child. It was because of this person’s contribution that he is now more tolerant of her than others and can dismiss them as petty.

Carl Lemoine*.

Cesar might have been just as blinded in front of Liloa if it hadn’t been for him, the eldest son of Count Lemoine and Cesar’s older brother. The fact that he had been watching Carl his entire life, formed him that way. This helped him to put Liloa at ease whenever he ran into her. Only in front of Cesar, Liloa, who usually reacted sharply to conversational partners showing her subtle contempt, was blunt. It was because he took precautions to avoid behaving like that. They didn’t see each other very often, but they seemed special in terms of accepting each other’s different attitudes. As a result, Liloa had a preference for Cesar and they occasionally danced at the Sesbron Court ball.

Count Lemoine, who had served the Navy for a long time, named his second son and a promising soldier, as his successor. Rather than the sick eldest son, who was confined to his territory and devoted himself to strange experiments.

Cesar has been displeased with this choice ever since he was a child. The principle of inheritance in the Empire was the firstborn, but the successor could be changed if the emperor approved it. The emperor had said that Cesar could gain honour by building achievements in the navy. This statement made clear that the presence of Carl, who had not become the heir even though he was the firstborn, would be ignored for the rest of his life. Carl had a weak body and a bleak personality, but he was bright and intelligent. He was far more capable of leading a family than Cesar. It was also Carl who was in charge of the household when the current Count Lemoine went on an expedition. Meanwhile, Cesar lived a life similar to his father’s, so even if he inherited the estate, it would be Carl’s responsibility to care for the family. In addition, his constitution began to stabilise after he married a wise wife. Therefore, everyone thought that the present Carl made for an excellent heir, everyone except for Count Lemoine that is.

However, if Carl succeeds in Sesbron, Count Lemoine will have no other choice but to acknowledge him. And Cesar intends to help his brother both physically and mentally during this landing**.

***

Cesar stepped into the garden to greet Carl, who was about to arrive. The Lemoine family owned two large private residences and several other smaller villas within their county. As a means to oversee the estate, Carl lived in their territory while Cesar and Count Lemoine, who both had to stay close to Lebrun due to their responsibilities to the Navy, stayed in Sesbron. Currently, Cesar lived alone at the Sesbron residence because their father was away on an extended business trip.

As he watched Carl’s carriage rise up the hill beyond the main gate, Cesar thought it was fortunate that his father had left the house. This visit wouldn’t be possible if the count had been present. Cesar had never forgotten the persecution he had witnessed. The count tried every means possible to train Carl into having a stronger body and mind. From closing down his library, burning all his books, and destroying all the tools in his lab to recklessly teaching him swordsmanship and shooting in the dead of winter. There were even more aggressive methods, such as pushing him backwards into a pond with broken ice or letting animals chase him as he fled. Young Cesar was also mobilised and humiliated by being tied to a tree with a target placed over his head. Fortunately for the siblings, the landing period for naval officers commissioned to the western continent was short and the intervals between landings were long. Even so, only ruins remained where the count had swept through.

On the surface, Carl seemed weak, but Cesar knew his strength better than anyone else. Because, even in the face of the fiery wrathful father, Carl’s will never broke. He may have fallen down, fainted, cried or begged due to his injuries, but he never surrendered. Cesar has only seen sharp passion and persistence in Carl’s eyes beyond his hazy glasses.

Carl got off the wagon and approached with some noisiness.

“Cesar!”contemporary romance

“Brother.”

Cesar, who was a span taller than his older brother, bent his legs and returned the hug. Carl cared for his younger brother, who had supported him all his life, and he expressed that fact without hesitation. There wasn’t much he could do with his body, but he would give his life for his younger brother in the blink of an eye. On the contrary, it was Cesar who beat down the wildcats and fighting dogs that pursued him as a child, it was Cesar who looked after him day and night as he seemed to be dying of motion sickness when he was forcibly taken on a boat, and it was Cesar who secretly hid his favourite books in his room, out of their father’s sight.

Without Cesar, Carl could not have dreamed of the present.

“Wow, you look taller!”

With his arms outstretched, Carl tapped Cesar on the shoulder. It took some effort, but Cesar only noticed that Carl was hitting his shoulder after hearing the sound of the fabric flaking.

“Good morning, young master.”

After that, a beautiful woman, Maribella Lemoine, came down from the carriage and greeted him. In Maribella’s arms, a boy less than a year old, was asleep. Cesar’s gaze met the peacefully sleeping face. Seeing this, Maribella offered him the small child.

“Dylan barely fell asleep. Would you like to hold him?”

“It’s fine, sister-in-law. But Amelia and Ellen…”

“Uncle, uncle!”

As soon as they were found, the two little ladies rushed out from behind their mother’s skirt and ran toward him. Cesar knew they had been hiding poorly, but he pretended to be surprised and lifted the sisters up in a flash. He found it hard to be a funny uncle, but he could be a handsome and caring one. Facing each other in his arms, the sound of laughter from the sisters came and went underneath his chin.

“I like my uncle.”

“I like him, too.”

“I like him more!”

“No, Amelia, we talked about this last time, I’m the one who likes him more!”

Carl, who looked tearfully touched at first, noticed his two daughters started to fight over their uncle. He blew his nose with a handkerchief and spoke up.

“Hey, girls… Dad’s…”

Nevertheless, the distinctive voices were only interested in Cesar.

– – – – –

Footnote:

6. Karabinae Unit: Elite cavalry unit.

* Carl Lemoine: This was a bit of a tough one. The more accurate translation would be something like ‘Caroji’ (카로지). However, seeing the use of more typical western names as Joe, Edgar, Cesar, Rene, George, Alain, Luca etc in this story we choose to change it to Carl.

** Landing or landing period: ‘landing’ is the term used for the navy to come back to land. A landing period is like a small break or vacation from the fleet. So if Cesar speaks about ‘this landing’ it means the time he spends on land before returning to the fleet.

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